Labour Crisis Brews As NLC Queries Lagos Chair Over Pro-Tinubu Support Group

The Working People United (WoPU), a support group campaigning for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027, may have plunged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) into crisis.

According to reports, the NLC national secretariat has directed affiliate unions and their officials to distance themselves from activities of the group.

However, this directive has created tension among sections of the organised labour movement, particularly with the Lagos State Council Chairman of the NLC, Agnes Sessi, who is the Lagos State Coordinator of WoPU, led nationally by the immediate past President of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Williams Akporeha.

According to Saturday PUNCH, in a memo dated August 11, 2026, and signed by the NLC Deputy General Secretary and Head of Information Department and Public Affairs, Benson Upah, the NLC national secretariat queried Sessi over her association with the organisation.

The secretariat accused the Lagos council chairperson of disregarding its directive and failing to consult the congress leadership before associating with WoPU, adding that her involvement raised questions about her responsibilities as an elected officer of the Lagos State Council.

The memories stated: “Your involvement in the activities of the organisation appears to be in violation of the oath of office you took as Chairperson of the Lagos State Council and raises serious concerns regarding your obligations to the Congress.”

According to the labour union, Sessi betrayed the oath of her office, acted in contravention of the established rules, regulations and directives of the Congress, “promoting or supporting a parallel organisation to the Congress and undermining the authority of the national body.” 

However, Akporeha has rejected the position of the NLC national leadership.

In a statement issued on Friday, he described the directive against WoPU as an infringement on the constitutional right of workers and other citizens to freely associate.

According to him, the NLC had no authority to prevent workers from belonging to a political support organisation of their choice.

He said the directive amounted to a violation of Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of association.

“They have now ignored their constitutional mandate of protecting workers welfare to dabble into politics for the single reason of being against the re-election of Mr President in 2027.

“Working People United sees this directive as an affront on the sensibility of Nigerian workers, Nigerian working people, Nigerian citizens and our constitution and rights,” he said.

According to him, WoPU considers the directive “a fundamental violation of the constitutional rights of Nigerian workers to freedom of association as enshrined in Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).”

Akporeha argued that there was no provision in the NLC constitution requiring a political support group to obtain approval from the national leadership before operating, accusing NLC President, Joe Ajaero, of attempting to compel affiliates and workers to support the Labour Party and its preferred candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.

“It is unfortunate that some persons in NLC are now arrogating powers they do not possess by directing individual, unions, affiliates that their members should only join and support Labour Party,” the statement said.

Recalling the NLC’s involvement in the 2023 elections, he alleged that the labour leadership had similarly attempted to persuade workers to support the Labour Party and its candidate.

“We recollect how this person has tried to coerce all workers to join LP and support a particular candidate in the last election and still doing same in 2027, against the freedom of association of individual,” he said, maintaining that the NLC was made up of individual unions with their own constitutional structures and decision-making organs.

“It should be noted that, the NLC is a group of individual unions with their rights and decision via their various organs as enshrined and govern by their individual constitution and not by any person in NLC,” he said.

The WoPU coordinator added: “It is unfortunate, the assertion of not taking permission from some few leaders of NLC, for individuals to exercise their constitutional fundamental human rights to belong to any association of his/her choice is now a treasonable offence.

“To say the least, this is laughable and appalling that some few individuals are trying to drag our highly respected NLC to this very lowest ebb.

“This constitutes a threat, deliberate and direct affront against the rights of working people to freely associate.”